Mindful Eating Day 1

Goal: Take the eating attitudes quiz and look over “What Kind of Eater Are You?”.

Journal: What strengths did you discover in your eating attitudes? What specific habits do you have that you want to continue? What habits do you have that you would like to change throughout A Week of Mindful Eating?

Eating Attitudes Score: 24
*A TOTAL SCORE ABOVE 20 POINTS INDICATES HEALTHY EATING ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS.
*A TOTAL SCORE UNDER 20 POINTS MAY INDICATE UNHEALTHY ATTITUDES AND EXTREME EATING BEHAVIORS.

My Strengths
I can stop eating when I'm full.
I have never thrown up after eating (I may have thought about it, and attempted it, but never have).
I'm definitely not "too thin."
I don't buy into fad diets.
I have lots of self-control around food.  I can force myself to eat when I know I should but don't want to, and I can say no to foods I know are not good for me.

I want to continue to be able to listen to hunger cues to guide my eating.  I want to continue eating 3 healthy meals each day.  Skipping meals will not help me be healthier in the long-run; I want to always be able to remember that.  I want to continue following the healthy habits I'm beginning to learn about and truly develop them into habits-- like drinking lots of water, eating fresh fruits and veggies everyday, and eating treats in moderation.  I want to continue to be able to stop disordered eating thoughts before they lead to actions.

Where I Would Like To Improve
I would like to become less emotionally expressive in my diet.  When I am upset, I tend to hate food and want to not eat or work out a ton to burn off all calories I have eaten.  I want to stop being obsessed with food.  I want to be able to express my unhappy feelings without wanting to throw up and think about never eating again.  And I want to be happy with myself, how I look, and what I eat. Most of all, I want to be a healthy example for my daughter.

What Kind of Eater am I?
I think I'm a mix of many of these; lately I think I really resemble the "Careful Eater."  Would it make sense to be an "Emotional Not-Eater"?  Below are the descriptions as taken from the WSR Calendar for the Week of Mindful Eating Challenge.

Careful Eater: Appears to be the perfect eater, yet anguishes over each food morsel and its effect on the body. On the surface, this person seems health and fitness oriented, because he/she is vigilant about what is put into the body and is highly conscious of nutrition.
Unconscious Eater: This person is often unaware that she/he is eating, or how much is being eaten. To sit down and simply eat is viewed as a waste of time; eating is usually paired with another activity to be productive.
Chaotic Unconscious Eater: This person often lives an over-scheduled life--too busy, too many things to do. The chaotic eating style is haphazard--gulp ‘n go when the food is available. Chaotic eaters are often so busy putting out fires that they have difficulty identifying biological hunger until it’s fiercely ravenous.
Waste-Not Unconscious Eater:This person values the food dollar and his/her eating drive is often influenced by getting as much as you can for the money. This eater is inclined to clean the plate and is especially susceptible to all-you-can-eat buffets and free food.
Refuse-Not Unconscious Eater: This person is vulnerable to the mere presence of food regardless of whether she is hungry or full. Candy jars, food at meetings, and food on the kitchen counter will usually not be passed up by this individual.
Emotional Unconscious Eater: This person uses food to cope with emotions, especially uncomfortable emotions such as stress, anger, and loneliness. While emotional eaters view their eating as the problem, it’s often a symptom of a deeper issue. Emotional eaters can range from grabbing a candy bar in stressful times to chronic compulsive binges of vast quantities of food.
Professional Dieter: This person is perpetually dieting, often trying the latest commercial diet or diet book. Professional dieters know a lot about proportions of foods, calories, and “dieting tricks”, yet they are always
on another diet because the original never worked.
Intuitive/Mindful Eater: Intuitive eaters march to their inner hunger signals and eat whatever they choose without experiencing guilt. They honor hunger, respect fullness, and enjoy the pleasure of eating.